Happy New Year!

The entire staff at Antler Darts wishes you a joyous and safe new year! In honor of the event, we've scraped the bowels of our music collection to bring you two awesome Auld Lang Syne covers.

For us, this classic melody marks the end of the current year and brings in the new. With tracks sung by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and The Beach Boys, there is no way to go wrong.

Download:

Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin - Auld Lang Syne (live) | zShare
The Beach Boys - Auld Lang Syne (Alternate Take) | zShare

Saturday Night Fever 14

This is our last SNF for '08 and we're excited to release a track from another underground EDM producer.

Adriano Dodici hails from Italy (as if the name didn't give it away) and has been DJing since 1982. "The West Side" is a slowly escalating clip that dumps into vocals that chant the song's title. It isn't really intense, and makes for a great down-tempo, chill-friendly, dance track.

Download:
Adriano Dodici - The West Side | (zshare)

Show Review: Matisyahu @ Webster Hall

Last night we watched Matisyahu dubbify Webster Hall.

More pictures on my flickr

This was my fourth time seeing him live, and surprisingly his set list hasn't changed much since 2005. He covered all of his crowd-pleasers, including: "Warrior," "Close My Eyes," "Aish Tamid," "Father in the Forest," and "Jerusalem" amongst others. To promote his new EP, Shattered, they played "Smash Lies" and "I Will Be Light." He also broke things down with a solo beat-box routine which was highly anticipated and well received by the audience. When the concert seemed to be over, fans chanted his name until the band came back and performed "King Without a Crown."

Overall, it was an energetic and lively performance. He even replaced Webster's famous disco ball with a disco dreidel.

Matisyahu is known for his performances, and we have two unreleased live tracks to share. "Thunder" is from his upcoming cd, Light, which he said will be released in March of 2009. The second, "Morning Dew," is originally by Bonnie Dobson, and has been performed by many artists. Matisyahu tells the audience that his first concert was the Grateful Dead, and he plays their version of the song. I also threw in Jeff Beck's version so you can compare the two.

Download:

Matisyahu - Thunder (Live at the Orpheum Theater 10/29/08) | (zshare)

Matisyahu - Morning Dew (Grateful Dead cover) [Live at Langerado Music Festival 3/8/08] | (zshare)

Jeff Beck - Morning Dew | (zshare)

Saturday Night Fever 13

Now that you've shoveled all of that fresh snow, here is some dance music to fire you up.

I'm throwing two deep house dishes in your direction, one from mix-master p8, and another from trance-titan Niklas.

"Nadir" by p8 is a simple yet effective track. No complex melodies or harmonies, in fact, it is the same not played over and over. This may sound dull, but he compensates with tons of gooey fx builds. Its like swimming in an ocean of reverb. "Cocoon" is a tad different, heard by Niklas' thick pads and snare-driven drops. This track is similar to the first by using space-like ambiance.

Download:

p8 - Nadir | (zshare)

Niklas - Cocoon | (zshare)

Andrew Friendly's 2008 Holiday Mix

We know you remember Andrew Friendly from Saturday Night Fever 5. He taught us how to bump and grind with one of the catchiest dance tracks we've ever posted.

Anyways, he's back to help us celebrate the holidays with a monstrous 10-track mix. We're dubbing this one "instant-party." Its a 45 minute ride that exerts pure energy every step of the way. The best part is, you don't have to add water.

1. The Rivers- Got Something On Me (Andrew Friendly rmx)
2. Mystery Jets - Elizabeth (Joe and Will Ask? rmx)
3. Milke - Love Get Out Of My Way
4. We Have Band - The Oh Song (Andrew Friendly rmx)
5. Andrew Friendly - The Bump and Grind 08 rmx
6. La Roux - Quicksand (Joe and Will Ask? rmx) with Milke - Your Love (bleepapella)
7. Andrew Friendly pres Roxy Wilde- Late For Ya (Andrew Friendly rmx)
8. Joe and Will Ask? - Mongozo
9. Andrew Friendly - Let's F*ck
10 Andrew Friendly - I Need It with Black Peter Group - It's F*cked Up

Andrew Friendly - It's A GULP-ing xmas 08 | (zshare)

Animal Collective's Ninth LP Will Shatter Expectations, Ripples to Extend Throughout Industry

All right, that headline was a bit much, I'll admit.

But without sounding tremendously hyperbolic, but with Merriweather Post Pavilion, the Baltimore-based group Animal Collective may have reached a potential career-defining landmark. Having been one of the lucky few who attended the first listening party in New York City this past October, I can assuredly say that MPP is pretty close to a modern masterpiece...an album that represents the culmination of over eight years of steady, collaborative progression from an intensely dynamic group of talented artists.

So far, two tracks off the record have slipped through the cracks. "Brother Sport" is a joyous and bright dance celebration, and also happens to be one of the most accessible tracks to date. "My Girls," easily the album's centerpiece, is a vibrant, pulsating number fueled by a stunning backbeat and unbelievable harmonies.

I'll be the first to highlight my absolutely gushing fanboyish nature when it comes to Animal Collective, but you can definitely expect Merriweather Post Pavilion to turn some heads when it drops this January, regardless of how people have previously felt about the group. It's a heavier, thundering dance album that may end up being revered as the band's crossover hit.

Animal Collective - "My Girls"

Michel Camilo - From Within (Music Video + Stream)

I came across this melodic Latin-Jazz bit while watching Calle 54 in my Jazz history class. It really drew me in with Michel's intense piano skills, shown in the intro, that grow with the song. Between the melodic-spewing bassist (who I think looks like Forest Whitaker), and a peppering drummer, this trio unleashes some serious instrumental fire. The video below was taken from Calle 54:

The audio quality isn't the best, so I threw in a stream from Grooveshark. If you haven't been to Grooveshark before, definitely check it out.

Baskerville Vs Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock

When Dee Snider was cranking out metal-hits in the 80's, little did he know he was creating rock anthems for later generations to enjoy. Though it seems like he was just singing about rocking and not taking it, these essential rock tunes were the forefront of Twisted Sister's rebellious attitude.

When Dee wrote these songs, he clearly wasn't writing dance tracks. Baskerville, however, has a totally different vision for their music. They mutated this fist-in-the-air rock classic into a fist-pumping club slammer. We dig how they can retain the original sound, while laying down some serious vocal chop action over downward diving synths.

Download:

Baskerville Vs. Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock | (zshare)

Stressful Times

Between finals, end of the year work-pressures, consumer confidence at an all time low, and rampant layoffs, I feel like everyone has nearly lost it. Maybe it is just me, but NYC seems stressed.

Leave it up to Thomas Bangalter, of Daft Punk fame, to create a track that reflects today's mood. This down-tempo, grime-infested, chromatic-scale driven b-side will make anyone lose their cool. Its not your typical Daft Punk dance-fest, but still pumps hard and stays true to the French touch.

Download:

Thomas Bangalter - Stress | (zshare)

Ticket Contest: of Montreal

By the beard of Zeus, we have one ticket to of Montreal's sold-out show on 12/16. Its going down this Tuesday at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, in Brooklyn, NY.

In true holiday spirit, we are giving it away, for free, to one lucky fan. After all, 'tis the season of giving. All you have to do is send an email to contests@antlerdarts.com with the subject line "of Montreal". Be sure to tell us why you'd be super stoked to go to their show, as we'll probably pick the winner based on that. The contest ends at midnight on Monday, so get those emails in tout de suite!

Click over to MHoW's website for additional info.

Some tracks, courtesy of RCRD LBL:

Saturday Night Fever 12

The juice behind tonight's SNF is Cliff Coenraad, a mixin' fixin' dj/producer from Holland.

"Modulate" is a traditional dance track of epic proportions. Cliff layers screams, sweeps, and electronic eruptions of sound to assist you in getting your dance on. We think it's dope how he builds with filtered 90's synths, yet he infuses 2008 production techniques to keep things fresh and exciting. But don't take our word for it...

On top of that, we're handing you his one-hour monthly mix for December, a perfect way to jump-start your Saturday night.

Download:

Cliff Coenraad - Modulate (Repimp) | (zshare)

Cliff Coenraad - Monthly Mix: December 2008

Loyal Divide's "Labrador EP" Demands to Be Listened To

On the band's MySpace page, the Loyal Divide casually lists off its influences as consisting of Brian Eno, My Bloody Valentine, Talk Talk, and DJ Shadow. In other words, a man who invented a genre, two progressive rock bands that created arguably two of the most influential albums of their decade, and one of the premiere American hip-hop producers of all time.

You've got my attention.

The band's debut, Labrador EP, is a most impressive one. Four tracks totaling seventeen minutes seems about standard standard for an EP, but these songs are pretty dense and wrought with passion. A lovely twist.

"Vision Vision" handles that emptiness perfectly, filling about every inch of its soundscape and doing so delicately before a distorted scream explodes after the first verse. The track is as close as the band gets to pop (think Return to Cookie Mountain without the thin layer of grime and noise). Here, in the track's final moments (and on its sleeve), are the DJ Shadow influences, combing by way of a lively, infectious instrumental outro. Just tremendous work here.

"Lover I Can Tell You" is a digital ballad of something cold and tired, beginning with Green-World Eno Monster Sounds -- halting abruptly (and questionably) about a minute in -- and ending with a drifting, echoing harmony of vocals and samples. The song is quite stunning, despite the bizarre transition in the beginning.

The Loyal Divide's debut EP, despite teetering on goofy now and then, is a skillfully crafted collection of sample-heavy psychedelic rock songs. Though not perfectly conceived, it still demands to be listened to, specifically for its arrangement and texture. It's an edgy blend of familiar styles with a wide-appeal...something I can get behind.

Saturday Night Fever 11: Emil & Friends

Changing pace from our usual techno/trance/house track, we're throwing you some disco-funk heat from Emil & Friends.

This jam rocks four tight features we dig: a sizzlin' bass line, lush vocals, dripping guitar licks, and boogeiful disco drums. It's locked on repeat as I write this, and we expect you to do the same. With a title of "Downed Economy" it's only right that we give it away for free, courtesy of Sweet Touch Records. So crank this track, get out of your chair, and enjoy what's left of this snowy Saturday night.

Download:

Emil & Friends - Downed Economy | (zshare)